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toxic_cornSeries: She's a Sticky-Fingered Filcher
Title: Handbook (6/7)
Author: Toxic Corn
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Post Objects in Space
Summary:
Disclaimer: All the characters are belong to Joss.
Author's Note: Yeah, I have this out sooner than expected. What's the point of letting it sit around on the harddrive when I can just post? Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
katsqueaks as always. Previous parts can be found here.
Handbook
For the last week or so, Jayne made sure to avoid the crazy girl. The only places he went were the mess and his bunk and if there was a job he waited for Mal to call impatiently for him before coming out. He got the job done and then retreated back to his bunk.
Yeah, it was boring. But it was safe.
So he was shocked one day, when coming back from a drop, to find River in his bunk.
She looked all cute lying there on his bed with a big book. Kind of like she belonged there, despite the wall of guns and all the nudie pics on the walls.
He didn't know how long he stood there gawping, but he snapped out of his River-induced spell when she looked up at him. She was smiling, that familiar sparkle in her eye.
He pointed up the ladder. "Out."
She stuck out her lower lip. "She's just reading."
"That's fine," Jayne said, bending over to unlace his boots. Can't look at her when she's poutin' like that… "Just do it someplace else."
He hazarded a glance at her and she was simply looking at him, blankly.
"Someplace not here," he stressed.
Infuriatingly, the girl went back to her book.
"C'mon, get out," Jayne said in what he knew was a whining tone, but he didn't care. "I've had a hard day and I wanna lay down!"
"You can lay down," River said, shuffling over.
Tempting. So tempting that it hurt and he growled in frustration.
"Fine." River sighed, heavily. "But she wants his opinion on something first."
Anything, so long as she left. "What?"
She held out the book. "Which do you find more pleasurable, figure one or figure two?"
Frowning suspiciously, Jayne took the book out of her hands and sputtered at the extremely graphic illustrations of a man and woman pleasuring one another. Normally something that he'd save for a special occasion, but this sure as hell wasn't it. He tossed the book across the room as if it burned him, letting loose a long string of curses.
"Does 'Nara know you got one o' her training books?" Jayne demanded.
"You didn't answer her question," River said, sternly.
"And I ain't gonna! Now take that," he pointed at the book, "and get out!"
River's face flushed red. "Why?"
"Because!" Jayne barked. "It ain't gonna be that way with you 'n me! We're not gonna be figure one-in' or figure two-in' so you can just get that outta your crazy head!"
"She thought you liked the girl," River said, quietly.
Her sad, little voice gouged at his already overloaded conscience. Hell, he knew he was being unfair; he'd been the one who started this… whatever it was. And now he had to finish it.
"Yeah, well, you thought wrong. Go fall in puppy love with someone else."
She gave him a look. "Like who?"
"Like…" Oh, hell, she had a point. Married man, man of God, her brother, Mal… "Mal!"
Off of her frown, he continued, "Big damn hero cap'n in tight pants always doing the stupid noble thing. Girls are spo'sed to like men like that, not dried up old mercenaries. Now git!"
River rose from the bed and collected the book with more dignity than Jayne had ever seen a person display before, including Inara.
Before she left, she looked him dead in the eye. He tried to look away but found that he couldn't.
"She'll do as he asks," she said, voice low. "She won't bother him again."
"Good," he grumbled and lay down, punching at his pillow. "Maybe then I can get some gorram sleep!"
But when the bunk door shut after her, he remained wide awake for hours.
END
Previous < Reflex Hammer : Next > My Spot
Title: Handbook (6/7)
Author: Toxic Corn
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Post Objects in Space
Summary:
Disclaimer: All the characters are belong to Joss.
Author's Note: Yeah, I have this out sooner than expected. What's the point of letting it sit around on the harddrive when I can just post? Thanks to
katsqueaks as always. Previous parts can be found here.Handbook
For the last week or so, Jayne made sure to avoid the crazy girl. The only places he went were the mess and his bunk and if there was a job he waited for Mal to call impatiently for him before coming out. He got the job done and then retreated back to his bunk.
Yeah, it was boring. But it was safe.
So he was shocked one day, when coming back from a drop, to find River in his bunk.
She looked all cute lying there on his bed with a big book. Kind of like she belonged there, despite the wall of guns and all the nudie pics on the walls.
He didn't know how long he stood there gawping, but he snapped out of his River-induced spell when she looked up at him. She was smiling, that familiar sparkle in her eye.
He pointed up the ladder. "Out."
She stuck out her lower lip. "She's just reading."
"That's fine," Jayne said, bending over to unlace his boots. Can't look at her when she's poutin' like that… "Just do it someplace else."
He hazarded a glance at her and she was simply looking at him, blankly.
"Someplace not here," he stressed.
Infuriatingly, the girl went back to her book.
"C'mon, get out," Jayne said in what he knew was a whining tone, but he didn't care. "I've had a hard day and I wanna lay down!"
"You can lay down," River said, shuffling over.
Tempting. So tempting that it hurt and he growled in frustration.
"Fine." River sighed, heavily. "But she wants his opinion on something first."
Anything, so long as she left. "What?"
She held out the book. "Which do you find more pleasurable, figure one or figure two?"
Frowning suspiciously, Jayne took the book out of her hands and sputtered at the extremely graphic illustrations of a man and woman pleasuring one another. Normally something that he'd save for a special occasion, but this sure as hell wasn't it. He tossed the book across the room as if it burned him, letting loose a long string of curses.
"Does 'Nara know you got one o' her training books?" Jayne demanded.
"You didn't answer her question," River said, sternly.
"And I ain't gonna! Now take that," he pointed at the book, "and get out!"
River's face flushed red. "Why?"
"Because!" Jayne barked. "It ain't gonna be that way with you 'n me! We're not gonna be figure one-in' or figure two-in' so you can just get that outta your crazy head!"
"She thought you liked the girl," River said, quietly.
Her sad, little voice gouged at his already overloaded conscience. Hell, he knew he was being unfair; he'd been the one who started this… whatever it was. And now he had to finish it.
"Yeah, well, you thought wrong. Go fall in puppy love with someone else."
She gave him a look. "Like who?"
"Like…" Oh, hell, she had a point. Married man, man of God, her brother, Mal… "Mal!"
Off of her frown, he continued, "Big damn hero cap'n in tight pants always doing the stupid noble thing. Girls are spo'sed to like men like that, not dried up old mercenaries. Now git!"
River rose from the bed and collected the book with more dignity than Jayne had ever seen a person display before, including Inara.
Before she left, she looked him dead in the eye. He tried to look away but found that he couldn't.
"She'll do as he asks," she said, voice low. "She won't bother him again."
"Good," he grumbled and lay down, punching at his pillow. "Maybe then I can get some gorram sleep!"
But when the bunk door shut after her, he remained wide awake for hours.
END
Previous < Reflex Hammer : Next > My Spot
